Tumulus
by shinybones
Summary: Mulder and Scully travel to Ohio to investigate a series of strange and barbaric murders. But when Mulder is attacked, he begins to see things no one else can.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hello fellow fanfictioners. The following story is just going to be an X-File. I wanna say it maybe takes place around Season 5? Yeah, let's just say Season 5.  
Anyway, I'll shut up now. Hope you enjoy.

Rated T just to be safe.

* * *

_Ross County, Ohio_ _  
9:12 P.M.  
_

"Mr. Pierce, there is a man here to see you."

The approximately sixty-year-old man stretched his aching joints as he rubbed his gray beard, staring at the door where his receptionist would be, waiting for his reply over the phone. His tired eyes took one glance to his watch as he grunted, "Uh, tell him I'm busy."

"He says it's urgent," His assistant's voice and her quick yet dainty footsteps seemed to get closer, along with a louder pair. "Um, excuse me sir! S-Sir, you can't go in there!"

The door flew open to show his young receptionist all flustered with alarm shown in her pretty face, and a man gently pushing her aside so he may have entry. The man was tall, around his age, fairly well-built, tanned skin, and unruly dark hair. Clearly Native-American.

Mr. Pierce stood up, crossing his arms. "Is it really so urgent that you must come in during late hours, scare my receptionist, and rudely barge into my office?" He questioned firmly.

"You're making a mistake!" The large man immediately shouted.

"And what the hell mistake is that?" He looked up to find his receptionist had vanished.

"You're not only risking your lives, but the lives of innocent people. You must stop!"

Mr. Pierce was not happy with the response. With a stern look, he warned. "Don't make me call security."

The native strode forward, grasping him by his shoulders tightly."The mound, you cannot take it down, they will be furious!"

Before Pierce could push off the frightful man and grab the phone, two men in uniform walked in stiffly, pulling the man off of him.

"If you do not stop it now, it will begin! You cannot let it begin—" The panicked voice eventually faded as security dragged him away.

Silence surrounded him for several moments, until the light, shaky voice of his receptionist broke it. "Sir?"

Mr. Pierce looked up at her blankly, only half of her was body sticking out from behind the door.

"Sir, are you alright?"

He forced a smile for her, walking over to her calmly and patted her shoulder comfortingly. "I'm fine, thank you. I think you should head home now, you look stressed."

She returned a grateful smile and walked out to gather her things quietly.

Mr. Pierce settled back into his chair, shaking off the events of this evening, and went straight back to work.

* * *

_11:36 P.M._

The chill night breeze hummed eerily and caused the trees to gently lean, and the dark clouds parted every now and then to behold the full moon. Two faint lights on his old blue truck were the only good source of light Pierce would get to find his way down the dirt road. His wife had complained he needed a new car, but with the low amount of cash he was rolling in at the moment, he refused to waste money on one.

He clicked his tongue to the radio tunes, flipping through radio stations with one hand off the wheel. But his content mood came to a halt when "Bennie and the Jets" had turned into mindless buzzing. He switched to another station. Same thing. Switched again. Nothing. He let out an annoyed sigh, gripping the wheel until his knuckles turned white.

Then his car lights began to fade, and followed by that his car began to slow. He pressed harder on the pedal, but nothing worked. Once the car stopped, he jumped out and kicked the tire in a fit of anger. "Damn it, no good piece of shit!"

After a long string of curses and moments of frustration, he plopped back into his truck and shut the door. He snatched his cellular device from the seat beside him, dialing it quickly and waiting as patiently as he could.

"Hello, this is the Pierce family, please leave a message and we'll get back to you as so as we can, thank you."

He threw his cell phone back into the passenger seat and scratched his beard thoughtfully. Out of the corner of his eye, a rustle in the forest to his right caught his attention. He sat still for a moment, waiting for anymore movement. It never came.

He breathed in deeply, mentally shaking his head to himself. He wasn't the one to get easily spooked; he messed with crazy people all the time at work. But that Native-American man was stuck in his mind, and he couldn't figure out why. Once again, trying to ignore any of that matter, he reached for his cell to call a tow truck.

A very loud and inhuman shriek pierced the silence of the forest, and before Pierce could even look up with wide eyes, he let out a most wretched and pained scream. His head slammed back against his window, red substance flowing down it. He struggled, waving his arms around and grabbing at his attacker. He felt his strength dying out on him, pain overcoming him, felt himself drowning in his own blood, and could hear the dreadful, raspy breathing of his enemy.

As he felt death creep closer, the last thing he saw before the darkness had swallowed him for eternity was a pair of pale yellow eyes.

* * *

**A/N:** *queue X-Files theme* :P

Yeehaw, getting my first real story started. And no worries, our two favorite FBI agents will be sure to appear in the next chapter.  
Until then, have a good day.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** I'm quite pleased with this chapter, I hope you all are too. More blood and action will come soon, I promise. :P  
Enjoy.

* * *

_Washington, D.C.  
FBI Headquarters  
10:53 A.M._

It was a beautiful, cloudless day. The morning was greeted by a lovely sunrise, filling the air with its joyful warmth, abounding soft colors to the night skies until it all melted away into a baby blue. Vegetation had become vividly green after the overnight rain, coating everything with a thin layer of dew. This pleased the birds which allowed them to spread their cheerful songs, promising spring time would come soon…

…So thought Dana Scully, as she gazed out the tiny, sorry excuse for a window in her basement office.

"Hello? Hello? Are you still there?"

The frantic, disembodied voice snapped her back into reality. "I apologize, ma'am. But after you accused your husband of being a, uhm… zombie. I had trouble processing such an idea."

Scully immediately pulled the phone away from her ear, cringing as she hoped for the loud ranting to come to an end. She waited patiently for a few moments until she guessed that this deranged woman would never give it a rest. She slowly set the phone down until it clicked and there was silence at last.

She sat still for a few moments and closed her eyes, indulging in the wonderful sound of nothing. Her poor ear had been talked off after many, many days of taking in calls. Some of them were pointless, and the rest of them were just down right insane. She couldn't believe how many nutcases there were in this world. The reason she had taken on this burden was due to the lack of any assignments for nearly two weeks. She was on the verge of going crazy herself.

The red-head opened her eyes again, letting them overlook the scenery out the window once more. "A gorgeous day, and I'm in here wasting my time and doing Mulder's half of this work." She complained to no one in particular.

Where the hell was that slacker anyway? Not that she was too surprised he was late; he was always late, but not this late. Almost everyday she would check in at 8:00am, if not earlier. He would usually stumble in around 9:00-9:30am, if not later. But it was nearly eleven o'clock and she had yet to be greeted by that impish grin and those hasty apologies of his.

Sure enough, she spoke to soon. "Well speak of the devil."

"You'll be calling me an angel soon enough," Fox Mulder grinned, impishly of course. "Sorry I'm late; I got caught up with some things."

"Well it better have been damn important, because not only do I have to take in more calls, but I got to catch up on that paper work you stole from me three days ago."

"Don't worry about the paper work; I finished it up for you, that's partially why I'm late. Think of it as an early Christmas present." He tossed the large stack of paper onto her desk, winking at his last sentence.

Scully smiled thankfully. "Mulder, I could kiss you."

"Well pucker on up, 'cause that's not all I brought you." He pulled out a few files from behind his back. "This was the other reason I was late."

She stood up, almost rushing over to his side. "You got us an assignment?" She asked anxiously, having to stand on her toes to look at the files he held close to his face.

"Yep, a good one too. It seems to revolve around some barbaric and animalistic murders," He lowered a file for her to see as he spoke. "This is Jonathan Pierce, age sixty-two, resides in Ross County, Ohio. He was found dead a couple days ago, cause of death is pretty obvious."

Scully scanned the picture of the bearded man. There was a good sized gash on his head, long claw mark along his arms, and much larger and deep claw marks across his abdomen. "Looks like an animal attack, a large one that is…" She murmured thoughtfully as she grazed her fingers along the photo.

"Spot on. A bear attack to be exact though."

She looked up at her partner with a puzzled look, obviously not impressed. "So what are we going to do? Arrest a bear?"

"Keep your socks on; I'm getting to the good part," He assured her, tucking in the file under his arm and opening up another one. "I took up the liberty in looking in the X-Files for something familiar. I came across these cases from West Virginia that happened sometime in the 70's. Here are four more with a similar cause of death, and these two people are the only known survivors."

She took a file of one of the survivors, eyebrows furrowing as she observed the unfortunate photo. "What happened to this woman's eyes?"

"Ripped out, by a crow she claims. Her husband, the other survivor, came in time to scare the bird off. He was attacked a few days later, but it was too dark to see what it was he says."

"Alright, I'm still not convinced. Get to the good part."

He smiled slowly. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, Mulder. I'm starting to get impatient, quick, so shoot." She handed back the files to him, making her way back to her desk.

"These couldn't just be simple animal attacks, because each of the victims was in enclosed spaces. Take for instance, Jonathan Pierce was in his car, and it was locked. There was no sign of damage to the car."

She stopped at her desk, tapping it lightly as she contemplated for a moment. "But how could that be?"

"That's exactly what I want to find out."

Scully sunk into her chair, bringing a well manicured nail to her teeth, a bad little habit of hers. She snuck a peek back out the window to remind herself of warm, sunny skies. The answer was easy:

"Well make sure to grab me a plane ticket to Ohio," She couldn't pass up the chance of getting out of this cold, stuffy basement. "But you better be at the airport on time. I don't want to have to stall the captain for you again."

Mulder lifted his hands in defense at her warning. "Hey, most of the time I have a good reason to be late."

"Right, most of the time…" She mumbled with a roll of the eyes. "Before you run off again, why don't you take some calls?"

"Oh but Scully, I _did_ do that paperwork for you." He uttered innocently.

"Yeah, and that was your choice." She replied with a smile and shooed him over to his mess of a desk.

He hung his head in mock defeat and slumped into his seat, stretching his long legs to the side and lifted the black phone to his ear, twirling the cord. "Good morning this is the FBI, where your every problem is our concern. Please do hold, you're a valued customer."

Scully shook her head as he grinned boyishly at her. Today was going to be a long day.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N****:** So so very sorry I haven't written these past weeks. At least I think its been weeks. I dunno, my mind is all messed up. I've been super busy with friends and family. And I have a week long vacation coming up, so hopefully I can write another chapter before then.  
I feel like this chapter is a bit boring like the last_, _but the story will get more exciting, I promise.

_

* * *

_

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport  
7:33 A.M.

"The one day I'm not late…"

Fox Mulder's eyes flickered to his wrist watch as he let out an over exaggerated sigh. He was sure Scully had never been late in a day of her life. He saw her as one who was up sharp by sunrise, went to bed when told, came to class right on the dime, and turned in homework early. The usual Little Miss Goody Two Shoes. The thought of such a life made his nose scrunch, being quite the opposite. Sure he got good grades, but he still sucked up to the teachers to get away with more things.

His thoughts were cut off by a yawn emerging from his throat. He tilted his styrofoam cup of coffee to his mouth in desperation of staying awake, only to be rewarded a few drops. Frowning in disappointment, he sat up from his stiff seat to find the nearest coffee shop in the airport. He idly observed the crowds while he was on his search, a force of habit. Most people rushed from here to there, others looked like mindless zombies due to the early morning, loud cellphone talking, screaming children, the tapping of footsteps on tiled flooring, and the clicking of suitcases being wheeled along. But one thing stuck out from everything else, as it always did, and that was a patch of bright red hair. And he couldn't help but chuckle and take pity on the red head's entrance.

Dana Scully threw the doors to the airport wide open and continued to push through swarm of people with muttered "excuse me"s, dragging two bags closely behind. She was nearly tripped several times, obviously not noticed by the hurried and much taller businessmen. At last, she accidentally ran into a man, causing her suitcase to tilt and tumble over. The man simply walked away without an apology or offering of help, which provoked her to curse bitterly under her breath. She bended down in order to situate her suitcase back into place, until she noticed a hand reach down and lift it for her.

"I hope you grow a few inches, for your own safety." Mulder smiled down at her thoughtfully.

She looked up at her rescuer with narrowed eyes. "I've been able to handle myself for many years now, thank you." Though she nodded to him thankfully as he carried the suitcase for her while they began to walk.

He shrugged in acknowledgment and switched the topic with a mockingly strict tone. "Alright Ms. Scully, you better have a good reason to be late, or I might just have to write you up for detention."

"I've never been to detention in a day of my life." She proudly stated before she explained. "Sorry for that, my damn clock didn't wake me up and I got caught in traffic."

"Well I think you should make it up to me; I got up fifteen minutes early just to get here."

"You still haven't made up to me for all those times you were late."

"Haven't you ever heard, Scully? Never dwell on the past."

Scully glanced up to her partner, who was trying very hard on the innocent look and holding up his empty cup of coffee. She sighed dryly, "How do you want it?"

"Two creamers. And you know what, go ahead and throw in a pack of sugar."

"Oh, feeling a little adventurous today, are we?"

After their coffee was bought, they headed on to their plane which had conveniently been ready to take off. The flight went as any other flight. Mulder dragged on about their case and the many theories he had pulled together the night before, they both argued a bit, and Scully eventually fell to sleep and woke up to find him doing something strange he was occupying himself with.

Once they got off the plane and out of the airport, they grabbed a rental car and drove to their destination. The car ride was mostly quiet as Scully read the autopsy reports. Though she mentioned she would like to take a look at the body of Jonathan Pierce herself and give him a more thorough autopsy. They needed evidence of anything that could give them a lead.

As she looked over the separate autopsy reports that Mulder had found to be similar to Mr. Pierce's, a large hill caught her eye and she found herself drawn to look at it.

"Tumulus."

Her partner's voice startled her slightly and she fixed her gaze on him, giving him a confused look.

"It's Latin for 'mound.' A mound of earth and stones raised over a grave of graves, Native Americans built them as a part of a burial ritual."

She slowly nodded as it began to sound familiar. "Yeah, I've heard of those. I didn't know they'd be out here."

"Oh yeah, they got plenty in Ohio. I think they might have a couple where we're headed too, if I remember correctly." He opened up a new pack of sunflower seeds, popping one in his mouth. "I worked on a case that centered around the Cahokia Mounds in Illinois awhile back."

"What had happened down there?"

"Several people had gone missing. No relation to each other what so ever, and ranged from little girls to old men. Long story short, gave up and went home after a long few days."

"Hope we have more luck here." Scully flinched as a sunflower seed kernel hit her forehead.

Mulder smiled at her somewhat apologetically. "We don't need luck, ever since you came along the paranormal has a knack for following me around."

"Sometimes I wonder if that's good or bad."

* * *

_Ross County, Ohio  
6:42 P.M._

The sun was setting by the time they pulled into the motel "Sunny Hills" parking lot. They decided to check in and ask the folks around for a good place to grab some dinner. They would begin their investigation tomorrow, but for now they needed much relaxation after a long day. The two of them separated in order to freshen up in their rooms.

Scully locked the door behind her and turned on her heel to get a look of the room. The colors were poorly chosen, moss green and pastel yellow. And it reeked of tobacco, even though the sign on the door clearly stated this was a nonsmoking room. Though she had to admit it was nicer then most rooms she had gotten in the past. Taking a deep breath of the dingy air, she set her suitcase down and unzipped it. She pulled a few articles of clothing out for something more comfortable, and headed to the bathroom to clean up.

Mulder strolled into his room, pushing the door to close it but accidentally leaving it slightly cracked. Not bothering to take notice, he carelessly tossed his bag onto his bed and ransacked through it till he found what he needed. He walked over to turn on the lamp with one hand while the other yanked off his tie and unbuttoned his shirt. He opened one of the files he took out as well and scrutinized it, taking off his slacks and throwing on a pair of sweat pants.  
A soft rustle outside stirred the silence and compelled him to look at his door. He stood still for a few minutes, but soon brushed it off and slipped out of his button up.  
Then it all happened so fast. The distance tapping approached closer, and the door flung open in seconds. He immediately seized his gun from the desk beside the bed, pointing it at his intruder.

Scully automatically threw her hands up, staring wide eyed at her half-naked and armed partner.

It took him a moment to realize the petite and obviously harmless woman was standing at his door. He slowly lowered his weapon and blinked blankly a couple of times, then dismissed his hostile behavior with a few swears. "God, Scully... Knock next time!"

She allowed herself a small amused smile. "I never thought I could scare you, Mulder. Plus you left your door open; I assumed you weren't in the middle of changing."

Her words helped him remember his partial nudity and he snatched a navy blue tee-shirt, but he stopped midway and gave her a boyish grin. "Are you sure, Scully? Not many women have the pleasure of beholding such a wonderful sight."

She simply responded with a roll of the eyes and walked out of the room, leaving a snickering Mulder to catch up to her. He decided to change the subject once he was pacing along side her.

"Y'know, you look good in casual clothes, wish you'd wear them more often." He observed her own tee-shirt which was white and the pair of straight jeans that fit nicely.

"They're not appropriate for the work environment. And I'd never give you such a pleasure." She teased lightly.

"So cold Scully, so cold."

* * *

After a good walk around the area and asking some of the people where they could get some grub, they soon found out the hit of the town was "Marty's Grill & Bar," which was fortunately just a few blocks away. The parking lot seemed to be full, which was a good sign, so they headed in to check it bar was simple and laid back with a bit of a western feel to it, Mulder noting the buffalo skulls hanging on the walls. They grabbed a seat at the bar and greeted their waiter.

"Evening, what can I get for you two tonight?"

"Uh, I'll have a steak, medium-rare. And can I get a side of fries? And a beer too." Mulder quickly ordered, nodding a thanks.

Scully went next, "I'll have the grilled chicken salad, no dressing please. And I'll take a beer also."

The waiter jotted the orders down hastily and set two cold beers in front of them. "Alright, you're food will be out soon."

Once the waiter disappeared behind the kitchen door, Mulder turned towards Scully and rested an elbow on the wooden table and propped his chin on his fist. "You're so healthy it hurts."

"Sorry to be causing you so much pain." She glanced at him with a half-smile after a swig of beer.

He turned again to face forward in his seat, reaching for his own alcoholic beverage. He casually scanned the entire bar with a turn of the head, observing each person. The last person his eyes fell upon was near the end of the bar. It was a man, a bigger man, bigger as in muscle. Around six feet tall, in his sixties, leather-colored skin, dark eyes, and wild black hair. He stuck out of course, being the only Native American. He had a mysterious aura about him, a shady one, as if he was hiding something…

The sound of two plates slamming right in front of Mulder snapped his attention away from the curious man and on to his sizzling meal.

"There you are, one medium-rare steak with a side of fries and a grilled chicken salad, hold the dressing. Anything else I could do for you folks?"

Just as Scully opened her mouth to respond with a negative, Mulder briskly interrupted her. "Yeah, can you tell me who that guy is at the end of the bar?"

The waiter looked down the bar where his customer nodded over to. "Kind of, I don't know his name or anything, but he does come here often. Strange man, always orders the same drink and nothing else. Sorta aloof, but when he talks it's about real weird stuff."

"What kind of weird stuff?"

"Oh just spirits and stuff, all that nutty Indian magic and crap. No one listens to him."

Mulder chuckled along with the waiter. "I'll bet. You wouldn't believe what people believe these days."

Scully had to let out at least one laugh at her partner's statement, drawing both of the men's attention to her for a minute.

"Yeah, pretty ridiculous. Well you two enjoy the food." And with that, the waiter was gone and Scully was allowed a few more laughs.

"It's not _that_ funny." Mulder grumbled at her as he began to cut up his meat.

"Oh yes it is." She grinned as she snuck a french fry off his plate and into her mouth.

"No more alcohol for you, missy."

After dinner, the two of them headed back to their motel rooms to get some rest. Well it was most likely Scully was the only one who would get rest, while Mulder stayed up to contemplate some more. The walk back was nice. It was a warm night with a light breeze and clear skies. Just what Scully had wanted so dearly after a slow week, even if that meant the price was solving a murder. One question had dwelt on her mind was why did Mulder find that certain man in the bar so fascinating. It had to have meant something when he mentioned the man. So she decided to finally interrupt this peaceful walk and ask him.

"Mulder, why did you want to know who that guy was?"

"Hm?" He averted his gaze away from the starry sky and onto her. "What guy?"

"Tall, dark and brooding."

"Oh, right. I don't know, something just didn't feel right about him."

"How so?"

"Like he's got a skeleton in the closet."

She raised an eyebrow. "You can tell that by one look?"

A smile tugged at the corner of his lip as he stuffed his hands in his pockets, looking down at his sneakers. "I thought you'd know me by now, Scully."

She stopped at her motel room, turning towards him before she headed in for the night. "Just don't go off making assumptions that could be terribly wrong," She warned before softening her voice. "Now get some sleep, you stay up too much, it's hazardous to your health."

He clutched a hand to his heart with a groan and gave her a mockingly pained tone. "Too healthy, it hurts…"

"_Goodnight_, Mulder." She exhaled with irritation.

Mulder grinned childishly as he watched the red head vanish into her room and went into his own beside hers, actually closing the door this time. He switched on the lamp and jumped into bed, spreading the files he had brought along all over the covers. He slipped his glasses on and rummaged through his pack of sunflower seeds with another hand, beginning his work. It wasn't until about 3:00 A.M. that he drifted into a dream filled sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Well well, long time no see. Yeah, I really don't have any good excuses for not updating any stories. I stopped writing for a long period of time, until a couple months ago.  
School has taken over my life, along with friends and social events. Yes, shocking that I have a life, right? :P  
I can say sorry only so many times, I really let y'all down. I'm trying hard to keep up with things better now, and thank goodness summer is almost here! Truth is, I missed this place, and I'm glad I'm back.  
So here's chapter 4 y'all, and I can gladly say chapter 5 is in the process of being written as well. Also, I wrote another one shot that I hope you might check out, a little apology gift for you guys.  
Hope you enjoy.

* * *

It was cold, a numbing cold which went to the bone, with sharp chills that coursed through your body, yet caused your head to become light and slowly fade into the subconscious.  
It was dark, a darkness which went beyond the blackest of black, where nothing would be able to be seen with the human eye, yet you could feel its obscurity all around you.

He inhaled a breath he was afraid would not be there, but was given somewhat comfort as he felt his lungs expand with air. No, the hand of death had not struck him down yet. But he began to ponder if death was more comfortable than this unbearable darkness.

Laughter. He could hear laughter, and he held his breath in hopes to hear it better. The laughter sounded of a little girl's, but with an ominous depth to it in the echoes. It was familiar, so familiar.

"Hello?" He called out. His voice came slow and muffled, not as he intended.

"Foooox…"

He whipped around and was forced to bring a hand to cover his eyes from the bright light radiating before him. He stared at the light and soon the newfound figure in it, and in shock he could only mutter her name.

"Samantha?"

A giggle. "Come play with me, Fox."

"Samantha, where have you been, how are you—"

Her face became distorted, full of rage. "Never ask questions Fox, they don't like questions."  
Her mouth lifted back into an unsettling smile as she was gradually being pulled back into the darkness.

In a panic, he tried to pick up his feet to follow her, but found he couldn't move. "Sam—Samantha, wait! Don't leave again, come back! SAMANTHA!"  
His feet picked up, but so fast he tripped over on them and seemed to pummel further into the dark abyss that he was sure would never end. He was proven wrong when he felt solid ground against his body. Still anxious, he scrambled to hit feet and sprinted through the tall trees that he noted had not been there before.

Only one thought was rushing through his mind, and that was to find his lost sister. He ran for what felt like hours for him, the trees rushing past in a blur, and no wind to hold him back. He was bent, and always has been bent on finding her, almost to the point of insanity. But he felt like he was already passed insanity by now.  
His only thought came to an abrupt stop though, as he gazed straight ahead at the new one that captured his mind.

"Mulder."

His name sounded sweet on her lips, stated so innocent and full of concern. He stared into her worried eyes, those lovely blue eyes that her contrasting red locks fell into so perfectly. A sense of serenity washed over him as he started at this woman and took in her beauty for truly the first time. Still in awe, all he could do was breathe out minimal words.

"Scully, you have no idea how great it is to see your face."

She smiled a soft, comforting smile that soon faded into a frightened grimace. She stared behind him, face losing color caused by lack of oxygen from shock. He quickly followed her stare with a turn of the head, the darkness in his view closing in as he took in the horror. Hundreds of humanoid shadows stalked closer and ducked behind trees, some crawling on all fours and others slowly taking different forms, lurking menacingly with haunting groan that echoed.

He stumbled back and eventually beside the woman who had captured his interest. His immediate reaction was to grab her by the wrist and run, and so he did. She followed closely behind, their steps and raspy breaths in sync. Both of them dared not look back, and kept their eyes alert for a way out of the forest that seemed to get denser the further they ran.

"M-Mulder," Scully's voice gasped. "I'm so tired, and my legs…"

"There must be a road nearby; we just need to keep moving!" He tried to assure her, though he wasn't completely confident in his own statement.

"I can't—I can't, it hurts, I…" Her voice drifted away wearily as Mulder felt his arm pull back, and he turned to see his partner collapse to the cold ground. He fell onto his knees beside her, placing a hand underneath her head, her hair soiled from the dirt. She fought for air and struggled to keep her eyes open and focused and continued her attempt to speak but was failing.

"Come on Scully, don't give up on me now," He tried to lift her back up desperately, glancing towards the ever nearing shadows. "Come on!"

"Ru—Run Mulder, run." She managed to whisper, pushing him away with all her last bit of strength. To his surprise, the wind was knocked out of him as he tumbled back, causing his head to become light. It took several seconds for him to recover and realize the danger his partner was in. He rolled onto his side and reached out blindly for her and called out her name, over and over. The thought of losing her again and for good frightened him and shook him to the core. Losing his sister almost pushed him to the edge, losing Scully would push him _off_ the edge. His vision blurred from the salty residue that he could not stop from pouring from his eyes and into his mouth. He choked on his own tears, preceding his pleas as he watched the shadows swallow her pale form that was surely to be dragged into the depths of hell.

He cried out in misery as she vanished before his foggy vision and grasped the ground beneath him, his fingers digging into the earth and clenched in rage. His now blood shot eyes widened in terror as he felt a clammy and boney hand latch onto his in the soil. Another hand clamped onto him, one that shot up from the ground and onto his shoulder. He could hear the groans of the shadows again, growing louder and more dreadful. And there was an abnormal banging that vibrated his surroundings, worsening his distortion. Every few seconds, he could feel another hand starting to drag him down into the earth. The banging repeated endlessly, driving him mad. His energy was drained, he could not fight back, and all hope was destroyed. _Bang. _He prayed to God for the first time in years, he prayed for death. _Bang. _For tonight he was staring into the eyes of something far worse than death. Those terrifying, piercing, pale yellow eyes…

_Bang, bang, bang._

* * *

5:44 A.M

Mulder's eyes opened, chest heaving as he sharply inhaled, white sheets clinging to his sweaty flesh. His breath shuddered as his gaze quickly surveyed his surroundings and was fortunately welcomed by the poorly designed motel room he vaguely remembered drifting to sleep in. He sighed in relief and settled back onto his moist pillow, but soon tensed again as the banging resumed, but followed by a most comforting voice.

"Mulder, open up!"

He sat up from his bed a little too quick, causing him to stumble around and stub his toe against a wall. He ignored the pain and the sound of sunflower seeds being crushed beneath his feet; probably fell out of his hand during the night. He unlocked his door with a swift hand and opened it to reveal his anxious partner. She stood there in her usual work outfit, hands place firmly on hips, and that common distressed yet furious look that said, 'I outta kick your ass for making me worry.' Never had he been so happy to see that face.

"Just where the hell have you been? I've been standing out here knocking on your door for minutes; I think my knuckles are bleeding." Scully snapped at him briskly, but her temper began to cool as she observed him. She noted he was still wearing his sweat pants from the night before and a sleeveless shirt that was drenched, along with the rest of his body. His breathing was heavy and uneven, and he flinched away from the morning light as he exited his room. She added more softly, "Mulder, are you alright?"

He smiled wearily and leaned against the doorway. "Yeah, think I just stayed up a little too late."

Mulder was a good liar, no doubt about that. But after a good look at his current state, it was painfully obvious it was more than sleep deprivation. "You can talk to me about anything, Mulder." She offered, eying him with more sympathy.

"I know, and thank you Scully. But I'm fine, really," He reassured her with a gentle arm squeeze."Now tell me why you woke me up at this ungodly hour."

She watched him trudge back into his room and followed him in tentatively, a little unsure if she was allowed in. "I got a call, there's been another murder."

He froze as he reached for a clean pair of slacks in his suit case and glanced back at her. "Another one? What are the details?"

"A young man, mid-twenties. He does construction for a parks and recreation department and was found dead a few miles from one of the department's construction sites." She sat on his mess of a bed, idly smoothing out the wrinkled sheets. "Not sure about the cause of death, but we'll be able to determine when we get there."

He entered his bathroom, leaving the door open for conversation. He yanked off his shirt and ran a cool, wet wash cloth over his warm body, going over the details in his mind. There was certainly a connection with this murder, but something was off too. The sooner they could find out the better, for there was a good chance more killings would occur. He swiftly pulled on a fresh suit, a dab of cologne, ran a hand through his hair to get rid of any bed head, and headed out to grab the rest of his things.

"Well then, don't wanna keep them waiting."

* * *

A/N: Please excuse any grammar or spelling errors, if I missed them.  
Thanks for reading, next chapter will hopefully be up in a few days. Ain't gonna leave you anytime soon!


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